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The Naboo (singular "Naboo"),[5] sometimes known as the Royal Naboo,[6] were the Human inhabitants of the planetNaboo.[5] They were not native to the world, but they became the dominant intelligent life-form there.[7]

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The Naboo descended from the GrizmalltianHumans who fled a violent revolution on their planet. Led by spacerKwilaan, they colonized Naboo and settled in the mountains and great grass plains around 3900 BBY.[8] For a time, the stranded colonists lived as a nomadic tribe and wandered in the Gallo Mountains in search of a site they could settle. They subsequently arrived at the Dee'ja Peak, and they started a farming community on that land, equipped with wind turbines.[9] Over time, other communities were founded, and they gradually evolved into cities.[7]

At first, the colonists clashed with the indigenous Gungans, a species of land-dwelling amphibians. After years of bloody conflicts between the two people, those who had renamed themselves "the Naboo" chose to reinvent their culture. They decided to place pacifism and rationalism above all other values, and they elected a woman to become their queen. The Naboo had changed from a group of greedy adventurers to a pacific society with a tradition of selecting their rulers based on intelligence rather than might.[7]

Around 868 BBY,[10] Republic officials approached the descendants of the Grizmalltian colonists with an offer to join. Despite their current difficulties, the Naboo accepted. While they remained spatially isolated from the rest of the Republican space, the Naboo soon began trading with other systems.[7]

Cultural differences led to tension between the two peoples—but direct conflict was rare. Over time there was more conflict between the various Human settlements than between the Naboo and Gungans. The Gungans believed the Naboo to be "pompous cowards" while the Naboo believed the Gungans to be "barbarians." This attitude lasted until Queen Amidala united the Gungans and Naboo to fight the Trade Federation in the Battle of Naboo.

Naboo politics often involved large numbers of teenaged Naboo in government work, a result of the Naboo ideal of valuing inner purity and innocence over political ability. This often resulted in individuals receiving positions far beyond their own level of competence and being left vulnerable to manipulation, such as the case of Queen Amidala and SenatorPalpatine.

Naboo was a sparsely inhabited planet, shared by two intelligent species: the native Gungans and Humans,[11] who immigrated from the Core World[3]Grizmallt.[8] Due to Naboo's relative isolation from the rest of the galactic community, no other sapient species had settled on the planet by 32 BBY, although ethnographers linked to the Galactic Republic[11] correctly[3] predicted this scenario would likely change in the following decades, given the planet's attempt to increase interstellar commerce.[11] During Queen Jamillia's reign, Naboo loosened immigration restrictions and accepted Clone Wars refugees, which totaled 625 million beings.[12] By 1 BBY,[13] the long-distance travel company Naboo Spacelines was active.[14] Indeed, given time, the number of offworlders on Naboo grew to up to 1% of the total planetary population.[3]

The thinly scattered settlements on Naboo were mainly dedicated to ranching and mining, and concentrated in the main and southern landmasses. They were separated by large tracts of land, and the Naboo historically didn't shown much interest in the commercial development of these wilderness areas.[11]

Artistic and intellectual pursuits were the main drive in Naboo society, while also embracing nonviolence and rationalism in dispute resolution, never resorting to physical aggression.[11] The Naboo were known for their love of peace, cordiality and warmth. Strangers would be met with smiles, bows and helpfulness by the planet's residents. The natives felt there was an art to living, and their cuisine, architecture and clothing all reflected this assumption.[15]Xenosociologists postulated that the Naboo emphasis on pacifism and art was a reflection of a cultural bias, instead of a genetic predisposition, since the Naboo were never completely shut off from the rest of the galactic community for enough time for them to evolve into a separate species.[11] Much like Alderaan, the planet Naboo prided itself on peace and diplomacy, and its capital Theed was a popular Star Tours destination due to its long, rich history and the fact that important figures in galactic history such as Padmé Amidala and Palpatine hailed from the planet.[16]

Community service was mandatory for all citizens between the ages of 12 and 20.[17]

Privacy was very valuable to the Naboo.[15] Around 18 BBY,[18] the planet maintained no global registry of citizens, as people seemed to know each other through a system of clans and families. After Amidala's death, Naboo customs prevented questions on the fatherhood of her twins, and no medical reports were drafted.[15]

Both Gungan and Naboo cultures had a strong relationship with water, although the Nabooans believed that the restorative and meditative qualities of this element were best regarded from dry land, unlike the Gungans, who built their society underwater.[19] Gungans revered nature and attempted to harmonize it with their civilization, while the Naboo followed a similar philosophy.[20]

The Naboo were raised to think of the amphibious Gungans as barbarians.[17] Gungans, in turn, were offended that many of the Naboo would think themselves superior to the natives.[20]

Both societies were greatly intertwined economically, if not politically.[22] Traders on the fringes of Naboo towns carried on vital commerce between them and the native Gungans.[1]

After the Trade Federation invasion of the planet, Gungans and Naboo increased cooperation in defense policy. Both groups developed action plans to resist future possible sieges and exchanged technologies. The Gungans' shield expertise, allied with the Naboo power-generation technology, allowed for a global defense system that was capable of quickly repelling orbital bombardments and intrusive landings. This new defense policy received widespread support from the populace.[23]

Naboo philosophy emphasized the concept of "peaceful existence," although this idea started to gradually erode during the Separatist Crisis.[22]

The planet had a significant percentage of acclaimed philosophers, as a result of an educational system that actively stimulated artistic and intellectual skills.[11]Some of them eventually became so famous and important that they were immortalized as monumental statues on the forecourt of Theed Royal Palace and over the balustrade of the Theed Coliseum. Governor of Naboo Sio Bibble was a notable philosopher from the planet.[1]

Naboo culture was primarily focused on art and learning, and by the time of the Trade Federation's invasion of the planet, it had gained a considerable reputation for having some of the most accomplished artists and philosophers in the galaxy.[11] Additionally, artisans, architects and urban planners were all valued highly in Naboo society.[1]

With the reign of KingJafan, the Naboo entered an era of unparalleled prosperity, which gave them the opportunity to focus on education and all kinds of art, including that of architecture. Along with urban planners and artisans, architects came to be highly regarded in the Naboo society, and one of the monarch's closests advisors bore the title of Chief Architect.[1]

The classical Naboo architecture was characterised by rounded rooflines and soft colors.

The Naboo thought of their cities as further adornments to their homeworld's landscape, which prompted them to preserve as much of the planet's natural beauty as possible.[11] From afar, a typical Naboo city looked like a sprawl of stone walls, peaked towers, gilded cupolas, and sculpted archways—the appearance of which acted as a counterpoint to the surrounding greenness.[28] The whole capital city of Theed was considered to be the crown jewel of the Naboo architecture. It had been designed to radiate outward from the Royal Palace while making sure that central edifice would always the dominate the skyline.[11] In the last decades of the Galactic Republic, the capital was noted for its harmonious unity of style, which was due to the extensive rebuilding it had gone through over time.[19] The Naboo's permanent quest for architectural elegance was reflected even in the most practical buildings. For example, the Plasma Refinery Complex was noted for its regal appearance that was said to rival that of actual palaces elsewhere in the galaxy.[11]

Flowering vines and potted plants added vibrancy and scents to the sandstone walls.

The dominant architectural style, referred to as "classical Naboo style,"[1] featured extensive use of porticoes, domed roofs,[11] and circular plans. Many important buildings, including the Theed University and most of the Royal Palace's structure, were rotundas. Even the structures with a polygonal base were often topped by one or several circular domes,[19] although flat roofs were not rare.[24] In truth, some of the most squarish buildings, such as the Guido's Tower or the Palace's Turret Room were noted for belonging to a more ancient style.[19] Other prominent example of the circular plan was the Theed Coliseum, a large funnel-shaped sports stadium that stood on its own plaza,[29] or the grand hemispherical Palace Courtyard.[30] Other common types of buildings included tiered towers supported by round-topped archways.[24]

The typical Naboo cupolas were made of verdigris, while the walls of the building themselves were made of polished, light brown to yellow sandstone. The streets and plazas were also paved with sandstone-like flags,[19] which could be laid out in a circular pattern.[29] Sometimes, in villages and smaller town, the roofs were reddish-brown clay tiles.[31] In the inside, the most prestigious buildings were walled with slabs of marble varying in color from gray to red.[5] In addition to the many windows that doted most edifices,[19] creating an atmosphere of serenity,[1] flowering vines were allowed to grow freely on the walls.[32] Filigreed bridges spanned across the many tributaries of the Solleu River that flowed through the city.[24] Fountains were also a common sight, forming a distant backdrop to the ambient noise.[28] The modern Naboo architecture seamlessly blended all those historic design facets with such technologies as communication systems, automatic doors and area-specific climate control.[1] Contrary to what could be seen on city-planets such as Coruscant, they were very few towering skyscrapers on Naboo. The building's delicate color scheme and rounded rooftops gave them a very soft, comforting appearance.[33] On the whole, with its low, convex, and condensed appearance, the classic Naboo architecture was the very antithesis of the Neo-Classical style favored in the cities of Muunilinst, where most buildings consisted of towering, angular and austere spires.[24]

The Naboo also created a genre of music known as shudderup, although it was particularly disliked by the Gungans. Although often played in the streets for money,[17] it was also the style of noted singer and quetarristBongiovi.[35]

The Royal Archives of Naboo was an institution on the planet that was known to record historical documents, such as the personal memoirs of former Palace GuardPars Varqom during the Invasion of Naboo and its aftermath. The archives had at least 2,453 volumes.[36]

Some of the art hailing from Naboo took the form of paintings that exhibited a style consisting of short, thick strokes of paint on a canvas, aiming to capture the essence of the subject, rather than its details. Its object of study could be either astronomical objects such as suns and moons or individuals. At least one painter based on an abandoned castle north of Theed employed this ensemble of techniques, around the final years of the Old Republic.[41] In Theed itself, the Parnelli Museum of Art was home to objects of art.[19]

The reptavian gamebirdNuna was highly appreciated for culinary use, and Gungans feasted on them during holiday festivities.[source?]Shaak pot roast, a dish based on roasted shaak meat, was also very popular on Naboo.[47] In some special or formal occasions, the Naboo five blossom bread was served.[48] For dessert, Theed was credited as the source of the plasma cloud, a fusion of Gungan and Naboo cuisines created during the cultural mingling post-Invasion of Naboo. Plasma cloud recipes required carefully infusing the egg whites of the Pikobi, a flightless avian native to Naboo, with plasma mined from the planet. When properly prepared, the resulting dish was considered light and refreshing.[49]

"They are traditionalists—tonsorially as well as politically. The style of dress and facial adornments pay homage to the regalia of Queen Elsinore den Tasia of Grizmallt, who dispatched an expeditionary fleet of Humans to the planet some four thousand years ago, and to whom some Naboo claim to be able to trace an unbroken ancestry."

On Naboo, clothing was often used a form of social communication. For instance, during the Trade Federationinvasion, the citizens of Theed made subtle use of Naboo color and fashion symbolism to express their support or opposition to the Queen Padmé Amidala's policies.[1] The Education Regent of Naboo Lufta Shif wore gentle and flowing teaching robes, reflecting the belief that learning was best encouraged by inspiration rather brute force or threat.[56] The Queen herself wore clothes that made her look taller and larger through the use of wide shoulders and massive headpieces.[1] In fact, the use of Naboo royal costume was highly codified and one of the most intricate in the galaxy.[57] High-ranking bureaucrats or politicians who employed refined fashion were sometimes derisively labeled "stuffed shirts."[58] Around the time of the Invasion, men often wore coats made of basketweave-like heavy fabric with typical Naboo-style bloused sleeves.[1]

In Naboo design, aesthetics were prioritized over utility,[1] and handcrafted, elegant shapes were given preference.[22] A fine example of the Naboo style was the J-type 327 Nubian royal starship,[1] a diplomatic vessel[59] that showcased artful contours and a mirroring silver chromium finish,[1] fully hand-polished by artisans.[60]

The Naboo Herald was a notable news publication from the planet.[21]JournalistIsta Kezever was a known collaborator by 1 ABY, publishing the article "Galaxy in Review ... Intergalactic Report 12.1" about changes in politics and technology.[69] During Veruna's reign, politician Padmé Amidala was beloved by media outlets on the planet, nicknaming the Princess of Theed the "Herald of the New Age."[58]

Despite the Naboo belief that biological age mattered little, the full legal adulthood among them was set at twenty-one,[24] as opposed to a younger seventeen on both Corellia and Alderaan.[71] Additionally, a youth could not be freed from the influence of a parent or guardian before reaching that age.[24]

During funeral rites, grandmothers would usually dress the body of their grandchild and prepare it for the "last journey."[15]

Bouquets of odorous millaflowers were popular gifts among the Naboo since ancient times. In fact, the gift of millaflowers had acquired a deep significance, which is why that practice was part of many meeting rituals, both on public occasions or on private encounters. By offering such a bouquet the giver would signify that he or she was pleased to be in the recipient's company. By accepting them, the recipient would express his or her trust toward the giver.[70]